Open daily. Always free.
Tametomo Shipwrecked by a Giant Fish is Rescued by Tengu

Tametomo Shipwrecked by a Giant Fish is Rescued by Tengu

On View

Not currently on view

Utagawa Kuniyoshi

This composition presents a sequence of events during a storm, when the hero Tametomo traveled by sea with his wife and infant son from Kyushu to Kyoto and their boat was shipwrecked. In the right panel, Tametomo’s wife, Princess Shiranui, has sacrificed herself to the water in a failed attempt to placate the storm. On the far left, mythical bird-man creatures called tengu stop Tametomo from committing ritual suicide. Finally, in the center, Tametomo’s loyal attendant Kiheiji cradles his master’s son Sutemaru on the back of a crocodile-shark, which saves the two from drowning. Spots of white paint splattered onto the waves helps to dramatize the stormy waves.
Artist
Utagawa Kuniyoshi
(Japanese, 1798 - 1861)
Title
Tametomo Shipwrecked by a Giant Fish is Rescued by Tengu
Date
1851
Medium
Color woodcut
Dimensions
14 1/2 x 29 3/16 in. image
Credit
John H. Van Vleck Endowment Fund purchase
Accession No.
2008.39a-c
Classification
Prints
Geography
Japan

Related

  • Japanese Masterworks: Woodblock Prints from the Chazen Museum of Art Collection: Chazen Museum of Art, 5/6/2016–8/14/2016
  • Gifts of the Ebb Tide: The Sea in Japanese Prints: Chazen Museum of Art, 6/8/2013–9/1/2013

The Chazen Museum of Art welcomes comments or inquiries about works in our collection. Please allow two–three weeks for a response. Chazen staff is not able to provide valuations or authentications and such inquiries cannot be answered.

"*" indicates required fields

This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.
Name*